Mohamed al-Bukhaiti, a senior official within the Houthi movement, recently claimed that the group has communicated with the Trump administration to guarantee the safety of U.S. ships navigating the Red Sea. According to al-Bukhaiti, these discussions were initiated by the U.S. government earlier this month. The outreach reportedly occurred in the wake of Houthi military operations that resulted in the group seizing control of several towns and islands along Yemen’s western coastline.

These strategic locations are considered vital for maritime traffic in the region. While the Houthi official characterizes the communication as a successful diplomatic assurance, the U.S. government has not publicly confirmed the details or the nature of these specific back-channel discussions. The situation remains fluid, as the Houthis have previously maintained a campaign of targeting commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, which they claim is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The reported shift in policy toward U.S. vessels represents a potential change in the group's regional maritime strategy, though the extent to which this will be enforced or reciprocated by the U.S. remains unclear. The report highlights the complex intersection of local territorial control in Yemen and international maritime security interests.